On Saturday, the Artemis II crew took the first high-resolution images of the Earth, sparking curiosity about why the planet looks so different from the iconic ‘Blue Marble’ shot, captured aboard Apollo 17 in 1972.
While some online commenters have suggested climate change and pollution are the cause, the real reason is due to the time of day and camera settings.
Astrophotographer David Magro told TDA: “Every photo of our planet is a snapshot of a specific position in space and time.”
Why?
Let’s start with photography 101.
ISO
The ISO is based on a camera’s light sensitivity. In darker settings, a higher ISO is usually needed. A greater ISO value can cause a photo to be grainy.
Aperture
As Harry Styles said, it lets the light in. Aperture (or f-stop) is like a camera’s pupil. The wider the lens, the more light it will take in.
The Blue Marble, 1972
- Daylight side of Earth captured;
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- No ISO adjustment (taken on a film camera); and
- F-stop value of 2.8, so lots of light is captured.
Hello World, 2026
- Nighttime side of Earth captured: evident through zodiacal light (glow of the sun) and city lights;
- ISO at 51,200 (very high i.e. grainy); and
- F-stop value of 4.
Expert
Astrophotographer David Magro told TDA: “Blue Marble became the benchmark for how we picture Earth, but it was really just one perfect moment at a specific angle, light and slice of ocean.”
“The Artemis II images aren’t wrong, they just caught Earth on different terms,” Magro noted.
“Every photo of our planet is a snapshot of a specific position in space and time.”
